She signed to Hollywood Records when she was 15 - The label had previously signed Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers. In 2012, she released her debut single 'Replay' which hit No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.

Breaking records - In 2013, Zendaya was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 16 of Dancing with the Stars, and since she was just 16, she was also the youngest contestant ever to participate on the show. Plus, she placed second!

She got her own Disney show - In 2013, she was cast as the lead in a Disney Channel pilot called Super Awesome Katy, later renamed 'K.C. Undercover.' This wasn't an acting high for her, but it did mark a change in her confidence.

She started to get involved in the creative process - "The only way I was going to come back to the Disney Channel was if I was in a position of more power," she told Cosmopolitan. "One thing that is really important to me is diversity on the channel ... Representation is very important."

And she had a huge impact - "I wanted to make sure that she wasn't good at singing or acting or dancing. That she wasn't artistically inclined," she told Vogue. "There are other things that a girl can be ... I want her to be martial arts-trained. I want her to be able to do everything that a guy can do ... I want her to be normal with an extraordinary life."

She's been deemed an activist - Though she is very humble about it and knows that she is still learning, the teen strives to be an advocate for people. "I want to be a spokesperson for self-love and for diversity," she told Elle.

Guest judging fashion shows - At 17 years old, Zendaya was a guest judge on an episode of 'Project Runway,' where the competing designers had to create an outfit for her to wear in an upcoming concert performance.

Working with Timbaland and Chris Brown - In 2015, Timbaland confirmed that he was working with Zendaya on her second album, after she switched record labels to Republic. Her song 'Something New' featured Chris Brown.

Thrust into controversy, but not her own - At the 2015 Academy Awards, E! Fashion Police host Giuliana Rancic saw Zendaya's dreads and made racist comments about how she thought it would smell of "patchouli oil" and "weed."

She didn't let it go - Zendaya took to Instagram to address the remark and point out that many successful people have "locs," a hairstyle that has nothing to do with drugs. She also said she made the choice to wear them "to remind people of color that our hair is good enough."

She's a virtual knight in shining armor - Zendaya is not one to let cyber bullies get away with their trolling, and she's been known to shut down inappropriate jokes, body-shaming, and generally offensive behavior.

She's proud of her heritage - With an African-American father and German-Scottish mother, Zendaya has a diverse background that she doesn't shy away from. "My mother's proud of where she's from, and her history, and her past, and same with my dad," she told US Weekly. "I have roots in Africa. Like, I am from Africa as well as from Germany, and I am very proud of that."

Fashion icon takes the reins - She kicked off her fashion career with a shoe collection called Daya, a childhood nickname. That collection later blossomed into a whole clothing line, Daya by Zendaya, in 2016.

Then she showed her ability to maintain chemistry on-screen while also singing, dancing, and playing a convincing trapeze artist alongside Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, and Rebecca Ferguson.

One of her favorite looks - She confessed to Vogue that his one-shouldered butterfly dress by Moschino, which she donned for the Australian premiere of 'The Greatest Showman,' is one of her most favorite dresses.

Her Tommy Hilfiger collaboration - She was signed to be the brand's new global women's ambassador, which involved campaigns and designing a Tommy x Zendaya collection, but she didn't want to just be the face, so she made sure she was involved in every step.

TommyxZendaya is more than a fashion statement - Even Hilfiger said, "Right from our first conversations, it was clear she intends to use her celebrity to fight for change. She’s got the heart of an activist," and that's what their show displayed. It featured an all-black cast of models who ranged in age from 18 to 70, and closed with none other than Grace Jones.

Her personal idols - She listed Michelle Obama, Rihanna, and Beyoncé as her personal idols, the latter of whom she actually got to work with in the making of her visual album 'Lemonade.' She told Seventeen, "It was so empowering as a black woman to watch it and be a part of it."

Tom Holland relationship rumors - Fans ship these two hard, and for years there's been speculation that they have been dating, despite them both saying otherwise and laughing at the gossip sites' claims together.

HBO's 'Euphoria' - In June 2019, Zendaya began starring in the drama series 'Euphoria,' an adaptation of the Israeli series of the same name. She plays the lead character Rue, a lying, vulnerable, drug-addicted 17-year-old who will break your heart and put it back together repeatedly.

Stepping away from music - In a 2019 interview, Zendaya said she was stepping away from music for a bit."I think the [music] industry takes a little bit of passion away from you," she told Paper magazine. "It sucks you dry a little bit."

She’s an ambassador for more than just brands - In 2012, she became an ambassador for Convoy of Hope, and in 2016 she celebrated her 20th birthday with a campaign to raise US$50,000 to support Convoy's Women's Empowerment Initiative.

Upcoming work - She will also play Anita Hemmings in 'A White Lie,' who was the first African-American woman to pass as white, enabling her to attend the most exclusive women's school, Vassar, in the 1890s.

Zendaya: Meet the girl taking over the world

If you don't know her already, you certainly will

Hollywood is rife with tales of Disney stars dominating headlines, from Miley Cyrus to Raven-Symoné, but no Disney alum has ever had such a crystal clear reputation as Zendaya. She’s an actress in 'Spider-Man' and in a daring HBO hit series, but she’s also a fashion icon, author, dancer, designer, R&B singer, activist—oh, and did we mention she only turns 23 this year?

In less than a quarter of her life, she’s had the combined careers of at least five stars. And she’s really good at what she does, too.

But what truly separates her from the growing crowd of young celebrities is that she is all talent and passion, and no scandal or controversy. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, and her skills only seem to sharpen.

From ‘Spider-Man’ to ‘The Greatest Showman,’ she’s proved her blockbuster-making ability. Now, with the HBO series ‘Euphoria,’ she has shed Disney completely (with fabricated on-screen drugs instead of real ones) and she’s already generating Emmy buzz for her breathtaking performance.